Stylish Ways to Conceal Electronics

Save precious counter space by suspending a screen that works as a television and a computer monitor, keeping it a safe distance from the sink and the stove. The flat panel pulls down easily from its horizontal position under the cabinet. A fist-size swing-arm mount not only holds it in place but also hides cables and hardware and allows the screen to be rotated easily. A wireless keyboard and mouse are housed in a drawer retrofitted with hinges and glides on both sides. When the drawer is closed and the screen is flipped out of sight, there is no evidence of any electronics. The monitor connects to a laptop and a cable box that are placed in the closed cabinet above the counter, permitting television and Internet access and the screening of DVDs.

Consolidating all of your electronics in one custom cabinet keeps the room uncluttered. Linen panels conceal the flatpanel television when it's not in use.

Holes in the back panel of the lower cabinet prevent overheating, even when doors are closed.

This device, which operates many electronics, eliminates the confusion of having several remotes. A receiver in the top of the cabinet picks up the device's infrared signal and passes it to the components below, even from a distance of 50 feet.

They need to be exposed, but in-wall versions can be painted to match a room's wall color and some bookshelf speakers can be fitted with grates in coordinating colors.

Accessibility is important, so the strip is turned so that the plugs are facing forward. Printed labels identify each plug, and a built-in line conditioner prevents power surges.

Three bookcases encased in a frame create a home office that can be hidden by a hollow door on tracks when the desk is not being used.

A pullout shelf accommodates a laptop. A wireless printer/scanner/copier is set on an acrylic riser to provide storage for paper. The stool fits in next to the printer.

This dual-mode phone accommodates landline and Internet calls.

A recharging hub is crafted from two hinged boxes. A power strip is anchored inside the bottom box with Velcro fasteners. Cords are threaded through grommets to the top box, where cord hooks hold each device in place. The box is left open when recharging to avoid heat buildup.

The office, concealed.

In the best of all possible high-tech worlds, you would have access to audio or video in any room in the house at the touch of a button. Now you can -- that's where whole-home systems come in.

A linen cupboard is fitted with a hydraulic lift that allows a flat panel to pop up from the back of it with the push of a button. The television is enclosed in a case, the top of which becomes part of the cupboard’s surface when the television is lowered. Yet there is still room inside the cabinet to store sheets and towels.

An MP3 alarm clock lets you wake each morning to your favorite song. The bedside cabinet holds a DVD player, a cable box with a built-in DVR, and a wireless transmitter, which sends video to any television or computer in your home.